Modding star Ben Heck has built a lot of gaming mods for one-handed players, but a guitar is an entirely new kettle of fish. How do you modify a two-handed musical instrument, ensuring that it keeps its acoustic and structural integrity so that someone with only one hand can play?

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When Ian Pierce, who lost his right arm working on the railroads, contacted Heck asking for a way to be able to play with his band again, Heck took the challenge. He called on local musician Tyler Kapla to make sure he didn't do anything too heinous to the guitar, tested the concept as the project progressed, and crafted a system that uses two pedals and a 3D-printed pick holder to strum the strings, while Pierce uses his left hand on the fingerboard.

In the first segment of Heck's show Element 14 that covers the guitar (above), Heck made a plan for modding a store-bought foot pedal for strumming the guitar, laser-cut a jig for mounting the servo, and mounted the 3D-printed strumming arm.